Semifinalists Set for World's First North American Startup Clash A continent full of competitive startups has been narrowed to fifteen semifinalists to battle it out for the title of most promising North American startup. The next round of the inaugural "Get in the Ring: The North American Startup Clash" will bring together five semifinalists from Canada, five from Mexico, and five from the United States to determine who will compete for the world title. The entrepreneurs will compete in the North American Startup Clash Nov. 6-7 in Kansas City, Mo. Watch for future announcements about these livestreamed events.Meet the Semifinalists

Census Research Data Center to Bring High-End Data to Kansas City Kansas City will be home to a new Census Research Data Center (RDC) that will provide area researchers with access to some of the nation's highest-quality data for analysis of the U.S. economy and public policy issues. The Kansas City RDC, one of 19 such centers across the country, will be located at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and will provide approved researchers with secure access to restricted micro-level Census data, including access to data on entrepreneurship. A consortium consisting of the Kansas City Fed, Kauffman Foundation, the University of Kansas, the University of Kansas Medical Center, the University of Missouri, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City submitted an in-depth application for the center that highlighted contributions from each consortium member.Learn More

How to Funnel Attention into Action Internet entrepreneur Neil Patel explains how entrepreneurs can funnel conversations into sales in a new blog post on Entrepreneurship.org. Patel's Kauffman Founders School insights explore digital marketing approaches from several angles, including tactics an entrepreneur can use to increase sales and build a customer base. Presented as an extension of Anita Newton's Founders School series on Entrepreneurial Marketing, videos featuring Patel offer practical tips to help a startup develop a comprehensive digital marketing strategy.Learn More